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What Schiano said, 10/12

Here’s what Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano had to say following practice earlier today:

On how the team is injury-wise:

“You know, it was a physical game Saturday so we’re bumped. But everybody in America is bumped at this part of the year. So how tough are we to play through it is the better question.”

The cut-blocks Navy’s o-line does, is that a challenge for Rutgers’ d-line?

“Defensive linemen and linebackers. It’s vicious.”

On how sophomore DE Marcus Thompson is progressing:

“He’s getting better. It’s a slow process. But he’s getting better.”

On what Thompson is doing well:

“His strength, his athleticism, his speed. This guy was a high school tailback. He can really run.”

On the concerns with Navy’s speciality units:

“They’re odd in everything they do. Everything is different. By design, I’m sure. They do these two little, mini hot-pockets on kickoffs where they pop out. They used to do it on one; now they do it on both sides. (Kickoff return) they’re a little different. Their field goal formation, it’s the only time we see it all year, is different.”

On how much work his staff spends on the triple-option:

“A considerable amount. This is a system that over the years, whether it’s Paul Johnson or whoever is running it over the years, we keep a library on everything they do. Because it’s such a hard thing to defend. People who say they can defend it are full of boloney. You just try to fight and scratch and claw and see at the end of the day if you can keep them out of the end zone. They know it a heck of a lot better than any of us who are trying to defend it. It’s what they do 365 days a year. It’s tough. It’s a challenge.

“Why do we play them? Well, ask South Carolina that question. The 10th-ranked team in the country and they’re hanging on for their lives. Ohio State, Navy opened up there a couple years ago and had them beat. It is a precurious position you put your team in because it’s not just the week you play them. It’s the week after, because you’re beat up differently from the cut-blocks, doing different things schematically.

“But I love the fact that we play the academies. We’re so grateful, all of us, for what these kids do for our country. They have to play somebody and it’s an eastern rival, a good thing for eastern football. Our fans really enjoy playing the academies. I know I love the tradition and everything they represent. So there’s definitely a tradeoff.

“Ask them to go run a regular offense. That would be good.”

On the importance of Rutgers’ defensive tackles to stopping Navy’s fullback dives:

“Those interior (linemen) are vital. You watch people play these teams well; like Iowa played Georgia Tech in a bowl game a couple years ago and really played them well. The defensive linemen dominated. I think their o-line is bigger than they’ve been, they’re stronger than they’ve been. So it’s going to be hard to do some of the things we’ve done in the past.”

On whether Rutgers will finally settle on the same five offensive linemen this year:

“That’s the 64,000 question. I hope so.”

On Navy’s skill runners:

“I think this fullback is a tough guy. He runs with his pads about this high off the ground. You can just see it the way he plays. That quarterback is exception. It’s kind of like their line, he’s bigger than (their previous quarterbacks) have been. You’re talking about a 6-1, 205 guy instead of a 5-9, buck-75 guy. It’s a big man coming down hill. It’s a struggle. Their slot backs are good. 33, 21, 4 — they roll them in there. There’s fresh and they’re fast. Their wide receivers do a great job.”

On freshman cornerback Tejay Johnson (who hasn’t played since the opener):

“Tejay has been hurt and I don’t know. He has a bad hamstring pull. He’s trying to come back. He keeps trying to practice. Maybe we just need to put him on the shelf for a while. But he wants to play, and I thought the short time he was at corner and healthy, I thought he showed really good skills. I think he can be a really good corner. We know he can. We just have to get him healthy. We hope to do that this year, but the way our schedule plays out it’s bang-bang-bang. We’ll see.”

About Keith Sargeant

Keith Sargeant is a graduate of Middlesex County College and Kean University. A Home News Tribune staff writer since August 1997, Keith has been covering Rutgers sports since 2000, serving as the Scarlet Knights' football beat writer since 2006.

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